Rope splicing device



` l i INVENTOR. e4 www ATTORNEY May 5, 1959 E. MALM ROPEA sPLIcING DEVICE Filed Jan. 28, 1955 United States Pate'.

The invention here presented is a process and apparatus for splicing rope in which there is provided a tid suitable for entering between the strands of a rope, the iid being constructed in parts with means for Wedging the elements away from each other to separate the strands of the rope and at the same time to provide a maintained opening between the strands through which the tuck end may be passed easily and conveniently before the iid is withdrawn from its position in the rope.

The splicing of ropes is a very old art and it consists in essence of the simple procedure of tucking strand ends under strands in the laid portion of the rope. It involves merely the separating of the'laid strands enough to yield an opening through which the tuck end can be inserted. For small ropes this is possible with merely finger strength; with ropes larger than about an inch diameter it becomes necessary to use a separator of some sort, which in the past has usually been a wooden cone having a relatively sharp point at the small end of the cone and a rounded surface at the large end suitable for the application of hand pressure or the application of a mallet if needed. However, the lid must be withdrawn before the tuck can be inserted, and the elasticity of the strands tends to close the opening as soon as the iid is withdrawn, and considerable skill, dexterity, and speed are required to get the tuck between the strands before the opening made by the tid closes up. Furthermore, a great deal of physical strength is required to insert the d far enough to give the necessary opening, especially when large ropes are being spliced, especially ropes having from 4 to l2 to 18 inches circumference. These difculties are multiplied many fold when it becomes necessary to splice nylon rope as distinguished from hempen rope, this difference occurring because of the much greater elasticity of the nylon which makes it extremely dicult to get the tuck between the strands before they pull back into place.. The result is that the making of a good splice especially in the larger ropes becomes a matter of great skill, considerable physical strength, and much speed and dexterity to get the various tucks in place, properly positioned, with a proper twist, and without fraying, the difliculties increasing as the number of tucks increases and being particularly troublesome with nylon ropes.

The present invention provides a new type of lid which consists of a pair of hinged jaws tapered to a point and suiciently sharp to permit of easy insertion between the strands of a rope but blunt enough to avoid damage or injury to the strands. A stout hinge is provided between the two jaw members whereby they are solidly hinged together, and a spreader is provided between the jaws, preferably slightly nearer to the hinge end than to the tip end. This component may be any suitable spreader means such as a screw and nut, with or without a gear multiplier, or may take the form of a cam construction, or a ratchet and lever system, or a wedge of any convenient sort. ln operation, the tip ends are brought together and then inserted between the strands of the rope, whereupon the separator mechanism is put into operation to spread the jaws apart, and the spreading may be continued until sufficient space is provided between the jaws for easy passage therethrough of the tuck end which is to form the splice. When the tuck end is placed exactly in the desired location, and drawn as tight as may be wished, the jaws are pulled out, allowing the strands to Igrip the tuck in the desired fashion. This procedure is repeated for each of the strands to permit each of the tucks to be inserted in the proper position, and the procedure is continued until the entire splice is completed, with as many sets of tucks as are desired.

By this procedure of the invention there is thus obtained a very high quality splice in a short time and with a minimum of skill and strength required.

Other objects and details of the invention will be apparent from the following description when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. l is a top view of the device of the invention show# ing the taper of the jaws, the location of the hinge, and the top of the spreader mechanism;

Fig. 2 is a side view of the same embodiment with the jaws positioned between the strands of a rope; and

Fig. 3 is a side View in section of a preferred form of spreader mechanism.

Referring to the drawings, there are provided a pair of jaw members l and 2 which are hinged at one end of each in a hinge member 3 having a hinge pin 4. The opposite ends are tapered as shown in the drawings and the ends rounded olf into a slightly blunted point. The tapering may be such as to bring the rounded-olf end to a size ranging from one-third to one-eighth of the width of the main portion of the jaws, the amount of tapering depending in part on the strength of the user, and in part upon the tightness with which the rope is laid, and in further part on the character of the material used for the rope. A preferred form of spreader mechanism consists of a screw member 5 having a tip end 6 which is provided with flat sides adapted to enter into a slot in the opposing jaw 2. The screw member 5 preferably passes entirely through the jaw member 1 and is desirably protected by a welded on cap member 7. A gear member 8 having an internal thread matching the thread on the screw 5 is likewise provided and positioned within a housing ltl, as is particularly well shown in Figs. 2 and 3. A matching pinion 9 is likewise provided and positioned within the same housing l0, a bearing in the jaw member l being provided at ll. A cover member l2 is also provided having a bearing portion i4 for the pinion 9 and a hole member 15 for the passage of the screw 5. A removable crank handle 16 is also provided having a square socket to fit over a squared end on a shaft l7, carrying the pinion 9.

The material from which the device is formed preferably is a high strength metal such as steel forgings or the like. Alternatively, by increasing the section of the metal, a high strength cast iron can be used. Alternatively, an alloy such as Admiralty bronze may be used, and this is particularly desirable because of its corrosion resistance. Alternatively, if a still greater thickness and body of metal are used, an ordinary grade of brass or cast iron or even die `cast aluminum base alloys may be used, and these are particularly convenient because of the light weight. it is even possible to use a strong wood on a small size suitable for ropes under a diameter of one inch.

The drawings show the screw 5 as having a flattened end 6 which enters into a slot in the opposite jaw 2 without being held therein. This structure is convenient for some purposes. For other purposes it is desirable that a pin be inserted through the jaw and the screw 5 via the flattened end 6. Alternatively, the groove shown may be replaced by a channel between a pair of spines or ridges projecting from the jaw 2, and this in some ways is preferable since it gives an added strength to the jaw 2. Alternatively, the end of the screw 6 may. be slotted, or forked, to cooperate with a single ridge on the jaw 2, in which instance it may be pinned thereto or may be left free. It may be noted that, in any of these embodiments where a pin is used, it is usually essential that the pin pass through a slot either in the jaw 2 or the end of the screw to permit of the relatively sidewise movement inherent in the hinged construction. It will be further observed that the slot in the pin is necessary only if the screw 5 is restrained in a closely itted bore.

In the operation of this device for the making of a splice, the rope is served with the necessary whippings to prevent unrolling or raveling of the strands. At a convenient time the jaws El and 2 are brought together by operation of the spreader until their tips are approximately in contact, or nearly enough so to permit of convenient insertion between the strands of the rope to be spliced. The jaws are desirably inserted a considerable distance to bring them as near to the spreader mechanism as is convenient, since this procedure reduces the bending stress on the jaws, which with large ropes especially may be considerable. When a suicient insertion is obtained, the spreader mechanism is put into the operation and the jaws spread apart carrying the rope strands with them until a suihcient separation is obtained to permit of easy insertion of the tuck between the jaws. The tuck is then easily given a desirable amount of twist and is easily laid in exactly the proper position at the splicers leisure, since the strands are firmly held in separated position. When the splicer is satisfied with the position of the tuck, he merely pulls the lid out from between the strands, whereupon the natural and inherent elasticity grips the first tuck rmly. The operation may then be repeated for the second and third tucks, which completes the first phase of the splice. The whole operation may then be repeated for the second tier of tucks and repeated a third and even a fourth time if desired for additional tucks, during which the portions of the tucks may be cut out, if desired, to give a nicely tapered splice.

The device is particularly applicable to hemp ropes and is especially advantageous with nylon ropes, in which the lay is much tighter and the elasticity much greater, making it extremely diiicult to get a tuck between the strands by the ordinary procedure, and because great diiculty is had with twists and kinks in the strand under which the tuck is to be passed. The device of the present invention is particularly advantageous since the strands are positively held apart in such a fashion that they cannot kink and cannot spring back until the tuck is fully and properly placed.

Thus, the device of the invention provides a new iid construction having tapered jaws suitable for insertion under a rope strand, the jaws being hinged together at one end and a mechanical spreading mechanism being provided between the hinge and the tip of the jaws whereby a positive separation of jaws produces a positive separation of strands sutlicient to permit of passage of the tuck therebetween while the strands are firmly held apart.

While there are above disclosed but a limited number of embodiments of the apparatus and process of the present invention it is possible to provide still other embodiments without departing from the inventive concept herein disclosed, and it is therefore desired that only such limitations be imposed on the appended claims as are stated therein or required by the prior art.

The invention claimed is:

1. A rope splicing device comprising, in combination, a pair of jaw members each having a narrowed portion and a rounded end on said narrowed portion,` the narrowed portion and rounded end thereon forming an approximately conical structure adapted to be inserted between the strands of a rope, having bent-over ends forming a hinge member with a pin inserted therethrough, and a separating mechanism between the hinge and the tapered portion comprising a bar member cooperating between the respective jaw members and movable at an angle to the respective lengths thereof to produce a leverage separation between the respective jaw members comprising a screw member.

2. A rope splicing device comprising, in combination, a pair of jaw members each having a narrowed portion and a rounded end on said narrowed portion, the narrow portion and rounded end forming a blunt, approximately conical, structure adapted to be inserted between strands of a rope having bent-over ends forming a hinge member with a pin inserted therethrough, and a separating mechanism between the hinge and the tapered portion comprising a bar member cooperating between the respective jaw members and movable at an angle to the respective lengths thereof to produce a leverage separation between the respective jaw members comprising a cam member.

3. A rope splicing device comprising in combination a pair of lever members, each having tapered portions and a bend therein so that the bent ends in combination with the tapering thereof form an approximately conical structure, the tip end of the jaws being rounded to facilitate insertion between the strands of a rope, the other ends of the respective lever members being formed into the intermeshing members of a hinge, a pin member inserted through said hinge members and a separating mechanism between the hinge and the tapered portion comprising a screw member and a threaded member cooperating between said lever members to force them apart upon operation.

4. A rope splicing device comprising, in combination, a pair of jaw members, each having a narrowed portion so positioned as to produce approximately a conical portion, opposite ends being bent over and drilled to form, in combination, a hinge member, a pin inserted therethrough and a spreader mechanism between the hinge and the tapered portion comprising a screw member and a threaded member, a gear upon said threaded member and a pinion meshing with said gear, carried on a jaw member, cooperating with said gear member and said threaded members to provide a strong outward thrust for separating the jaw members.

5. A rope splicing device comprising, in combination, a pair of spreader members each having a tapered portion with rounded ends, adapted to produce, when the ends are in contact, an approximately conical structure, the end portions being rounded to avoid sharp edges, the other ends of the respective spreader member portion having bent over portions bored for the insertion of a hinge pin therein, and a spreading mechanism positioned between the hinge and the tapered portions comprising a screw member and a threaded member, the threaded member being a gear having the thread axially positioned within the gear portion, and a pinion member and shaft journaled on one of the said jaw members, cooperating with said gear member to increase the leverage thereon, and a detachable crank member for rotating said pinion.

References Cited in the iile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,237,992 Austin Aug. 21, 1917 1,261,145 Maki Apr. 2, 1918 1,367,818 Kennedy Feb. 8, 1921 1,451,297 Greenslade Apr. 10, 1923 1,540,790 McCray June .9, 1925 1,676,434 Furneaux July 10, 1928 1,726,165 Shepherd Aug. 27, 1929 2,716,362 Novak Aug. 30, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS 35,413 Norway July 24, 1922 

